What is a philosopher king?

A philosopher king is a hypothetical ruler who combines political skill with absolute philosophical knowledge. First explored by Plato in his work The Republic around 375 BCE, this ruler governs an ideal city-state to ensure maximum happiness. Later, Islamic and Jewish authors in the Middle Ages expanded upon and adapted this political theory.

What we know

• The philosopher king is a hypothetical ruler combining political skill with philosophical knowledge. [2]
• The concept of a city-state ruled by philosophers is first explored in Plato's Republic, written around 375 BCE. [2, 4]
• Plato argued that an ideal state ensuring maximum happiness could only be brought into being by a ruler with absolute knowledge obtained through philosophical study. [2]
• From the Middle Ages onward, Islamic and Jewish authors expanded on the theory of the philosopher king to suit their own conceptions of the perfect ruler. [2] · medium confidence

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is Plato's Republic about?
• what followedHow did Islamic and Jewish authors adapt the philosopher king?
• what caused itWhat were Socrates's views on democracy?
• a case in pointWhat is Kallipolis in Plato's philosophy?
• whoWho was Plato and what did he found?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Alfred North Whitehead describe the European philosophical tradition?Alfred North Whitehead famously stated that the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.

Sources

• [1]philosopher king (Wikidata Q2088191) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Philosopher king · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Plato's political philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Republic (Plato) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Plato · CC BY-SA 4.0